Secret
by Paint Me a Symphony
Summary: Story opens with GossipGirl more curious than ever. What's caught her attention is the same thing that will soon be on everyone's minds: Dan Humphrey. Word spreads fast, but questions spreads faster. A who-done-it centered on death of Dan. NEW.
1. Two Percent

**Secret**

**Current Title:** Secret

**Story Summary:** When they told him should have told him not to tell what they said. Now, two can keep this secret 'cause Dan Humphrey is dead.

**Genre:** Romance/Mystery

**Rating:** T/PG-13 for character death, language, crude humor, and possibly some mild adult content. This may push the envelope on M later on depending on where the idea takes me. You are forewarned.

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**Author's Starting Notes:** So, um, this idea was really blur-blam-type for me. I don't know what is going on in my head, and I certainly don't know if I can pull this off. But, I sure as hell hope someone will bare witness to either my amazing success, or horrible failure, right now and over the course of the next few months. I'm literally writing this seconds after the idea has soaked in. I got this actually a few months ago and wrote down a bunch of tidbits from scenes. Turns out, all those tidbits, yeah, they make up the teaser/preface before you. Read and review. With an idea like this, I don't just crave feedback; I need it.

This chapter jumps around a lot, and the entire story takes place in senior year. This is after the entire season one. However, this disregards season two. As much as I like how the new season is going so far, it doesn't play into this.

By the way, I don't write obituaries. Neither does Gossip Girl for that matter. It's more like a cruel joke by the gossiping bitch. So, excuse me if it doesn't fit the usual guidelines.

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**Time Stamp:** September 17th, 2008

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**Chapter One:**

_November 19th, 2008 - Twelve Noon_

**What a day Upper East Siders, what a day. Never did I think I'd be doing an obituary for anything other than B's social life, yet someone has caught our attention enough for me to write one.**

**NotSoLonelyBoy, under the legal age, "man" candy of Serena van der Woodsen, is dead. They say some secrets are worth dying for. And on the Upper East Side, that is all too true as far as Dan is concerned. What GossipGirl wants to know is, what did he know? Who did he learn it from? And where can I get the deets? Did you really think I was saying this out of the kindness of my heart? I don't think so. For once, I'm out of the loop, and I won't rest until I learn what's up. You can ask S, guys; you can't keep secrets from the ones you love, and we all love GossipGirl.**

**XOXO.**

* * *

_November 16th, 2008 - Ten PM_

There it was.

Oozing.

Dripping.

Pulsating.

She couldn't tear her eyes away.

Nearly every inch of the previously beige carpet had gotten a paint job from something much more traumatizing. The glass table that had for a short time graced the center of the room had a new centerpiece. Trust me, though; a vase of roses would definitely be the better choice.

Two people stood wide-eyed staring at the body wordlessly as pure panic ran through their veins. Neither wanted to check nor think about how it happened. All that mattered was that it had. The truth was in the air, anyway. The only thing that could even register inside their cloudy heads was a simple question of five words.

What had they just done?

* * *

_Eight PM_

"Hello everyone, this is the voicemail of Dan, uh, Daniel… Daniel Humphrey. I'm not at the phone now, obviously, but you can leave a message, if you want, which you probably should, or I won't know who's calling…. Yeah, um, bye,"

"Damn, voicemail again. Well, hey, Dan, it's me. I wasn't sure how I'd tell you this. I'm still not even sure if I should right now because I like literally just found out a little while ago. I'm going to say it anyway though before I change my mind, hang up, and order you to erase this message. Um, well, Dan…. I'm pregnant! Call me back soon. We've got a lot to talk about."

* * *

_Four PM_

Daniel Humphrey sat on his bed, headphones in his ears, eyes closed. It had not been his best day so far. He couldn't even think of a single thing that could make the day worse.

A soft tap came on the window a little ways away, but he didn't hear it. Following that, the window opened and two figures walked through with very unpleasant expressions on their faces. One of them reached forward and removed his headphones.

Dan opened his eyes ready to yell at his sister, but found that the person before him was definitely not Jennifer Humphrey. He suppressed a groan seeing who it was.

"What is it now?" he asked impatiently. The figure on the right looked pissed. They showed how angry they were a second later when they grabbed fiercely at his collar and started spitting out threats.

"Don't you dare take a tone with us, you rotten little as-"

"Hey, cool it," the figure on the left said, "Look, Dan, you can either come with us quietly, or not,"

"Keep in mind that the quiet one keeps you alive," the figure on the right said

"Are you being serious, or just joking around?" Dan asked

"You'll find out if you start screaming," Righty said, a devious look on their face

"Fine, I'm coming," Dan said heading towards the fire escape.

* * *

_Five PM_

Dan looked around as the car rode down the street. He wouldn't say anything until they did. He wasn't even sure why he was with them. What was the point in dragging him out of his room if all they'd do was sit there silently?

"You told someone, didn't you, Dan?" Righty asked from the passenger seat not even bothering to look at him.

"Why would I tell someone? What would I gain from that?" Dan asked

"Who knows? The fact of the matter is that someone knows and neither of us told," Righty said

"I didn't tell anyone. I swear," Dan said

"You swore you wouldn't tell too," Righty said

"And I didn't break that. I don't swear and then double cross," Dan said

"Are you sure about that?" Righty asked turning to look at him. It was then Dan noticed how truly serious Righty looked. This was so not good.

* * *

Two people sat on a plush comforter in an immaculately decorated bedroom. The female in the party looked stressed beyond belief, while the male looked as if he'd just gotten back from the spa. A silence covered them until the female decided to speak.

"Gosh, I cannot believe I am in this situation,"

"Can you honestly say you're surprised? You are oh so good at betraying trust for someone who's supposedly good and refined,"

"Shut it!"

"Aww, it was a joke. Lighten up,"

"How can I?"

"Well, I do have a way that'll relieve that stress very quickly,"

"No, Chuck. Gross,"

"What? I was talking about a trip to the spa. You know, run away and forget your little boyfriend for a while. Hey, maybe when you return you'll even have a better plan than the one you have now,"

"My plan is fool proof,"

"Your plan is calling him and hanging up if he answers,"

"I like it,"

"But I'm sure Daddy-to-be-won't,"

"Why did I tell you in the first place what was going on?"

"Because family looks out for family. Where would I be if I let my dear Godchild grow up without a father?"

"You're not the Godfather, nor are you in any way related to my nonexistent baby,"

"Nonexistent?"

"Yes, I'm not pregnant,"

"You'll know for sure in a few minutes,"

"It's going to be negative, I know it,"

"Right, of course it will,"

* * *

_November 18th, 2008 - Midday_

Jennifer Humphrey walked into the loft after a nice long jog around the town. She looked inside for her brother or father, but saw neither in the front. She didn't expect Dan in the front, anyway. She hadn't seen nor heard word from her brother in twenty-four hours. However, she didn't blame him. She said some nasty things to him the day before. She shouldn't have even said anything. She decided that she needed to tell him how sorry she was.

She knocked on the garage door that separated their two bedrooms.

"Dan, I'm back. I didn't come over here just to tell you that though. I'm actually really sorry about what I said earlier. I shouldn't have been listening in… again. Can you forgive me?" she asked into the door. There was no response.

'_Great, he's giving me the cold shoulder_,' she thought leaning against the metal.

She instantly recoiled. It was freezing, yet the air was on…. Curiosity got the better of her and she pushed up the door to find no one there and the window wide open. His sheets were rumpled, his cell phone lay abandoned on the side table, and his pricey headphones were on the ground in what had to be a forced position. Something didn't feel right about the situation. So, Jenny did what any reasonable person would do when confronted with something they weren't sure about.

"Dad!" she screamed

* * *

_November 18th - 7:35 PM_

_Ring-Ring!_

"Hello?"

"Hey, Alyson?"

"Yeah, Rufus?"

"Yup. Is Dan there right now?"

"No, he's not. I'm not scheduled to see him or Jenny for another week,"

"Oh…"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"We haven't seen Dan in a little over a day. No one has and we're getting worried,"

"He's probably just with Serena, Rufus,"

"For a day? And without his cell phone?"

"Yeah, you're right. I'll catch the next train and we can look together tomorrow. Just try not to worry too much,"

"I'll try, Al. I'll try,"

* * *

_November 19th, 2008 - Three AM_

Rufus Humphrey and his ex-wife, Alyson, waited with baited breath by the phone. They'd called the police a little while after getting the sinking feeling that it was more than a guy just spending time with his girlfriend. They hadn't heard word since then. After exhausting list after list of possibilities, the only thing they could think to do was wait patiently.

"Here," Rufus said as he walked back in the living area with a cup of tea for Alyson. She accepted it gratefully and took a small sip allowing the hot liquid to calm her a bit.

Alyson had always believed she was prepared for anything. Sadly, there was not a single thing in the world that could prepare a person for what was about to come.

The phone rang and she had picked it up instantly.

"Hello, Dan?" she asked

"Um, no, ma'am. Is this the Humphrey residence?" asked a man who sounded a little too stiff to have good news

"Yes. Who may I ask is calling?" she asked

"This is Officer Mohr. I'm calling in regards to your missing persons report. Um, we have a small situation," the man said

"And that would be what exactly?" she asked

"Would you be a parent of the missing boy?" he asked

"Yes. He's my son. What's going on?"

"We believe we've found your son, ma'am… in the river,"

A strange sound that sounded like a mixture of a sob and a gasp escaped Alyson as she dropped the phone to the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes, her throat constricted, and the only thing she could think to do was turn into her ex-husband and cry. Her baby….

Rufus looked confused as she buried her head into his chest. He picked up the phone and needed only to catch a few words to know what exactly had her breaking down. He wrapped his arms around her slowly as his brows furrowed and silent teardrops began cascading down his face. He could only hope that it wasn't Dan they'd found.

"We'll go in the morning," he whispered

"No," she squeaked, "Now. I want to go now,"

He understood what she wanted, and grabbed a piece of paper to leave a note for Jenny.

* * *

_4:16 AM_

Their feet echoed eerily in the vast and desolate halls of the station. Everything surrounding the three walking people was bare and grim. Rufus had never felt more out of place in his life.

He didn't deserve to be there. Alyson didn't deserve to be there. And, his son sure as hell didn't deserve to be there. Not that, Rufus thought it was Dan in the river. He was almost positive it wasn't actually. His son was a good boy that didn't get involved with anything bad. The worst he'd ever done was snap at his mother during Thanksgiving. There was no way it was Dan. There was maybe a two percent chance that his son was the lifeless corpse under the blanket at the end of the hall.

Sadly, two percent was all that was necessary.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Feel free to review now people. I'd love to hear what you're thinking. I'm not completely sure about this idea, and I'm writing what (I hope) will become my book one day, so, I need to know if I should fully take on this story or not. So, drop a line even if it's just saying "Yeah, I read it, write more". I'd appreciate more than that, but either way it lets me know this isn't for nothing.

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(c) Everything written above belongs to me (FF user, _Paint Me a Symphony_) if somebody is out there pushing this as their own. They are lying. I may not own Gossip Girl or its characters, but I do own this.


	2. Ten Days Later

**Secret**

**Story Title:** Secret

**Story Summary:** When they told him should have told him not to tell what they said. Now, two can keep this secret 'cause Dan Humphrey is dead.

**Genre:** Romance/Mystery

**

* * *

Chapter Focus:** What's there to be thankful on this Thanksgiving?

**Chapter Rating:** T for mentions of drug use and character death

**Word Count:** eh, don't care.

**

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Author's Starting Notes:** This here is chapter two of Secret. This is the last chapter that takes place solely in "present" time. From hence forth, it'll jump a bit between "present" and "past" timelines. We have to know how we got to that point, don't we? This chapter takes place ten days after Dan's death.

Oh, Serendipity545, thanks again for betaing for me. I apologize about the last section, trying to stay mysterious really isn't my strong suit. It was two not three, by the way.

Read and review, guys.

**Time Stamp:** Posted December 13th, 2008

**

* * *

Chapter Two:**

_November 26th, 2008 - Midday_

"Death changes everything," she began, eyes focused solely on the ground below her, "And, it changes everyone. People react in different ways. Some choose fear and paranoia. Others go for the grievance route. There are those who drastically change and those who fade slowly into something they weren't before. I can look around at all the people in here and I can count on one hand the number of people who changed the instant they heard that my brother was dead. It'll take another ten fingers to count the number of people who have changed in some way since then. Daniel Humphrey was my brother. He was a great guy who was judgmental, funny, and really bright. H-he didn't deserve what happened to him. And, I just want you all to know that he did not die in vain. My parents and I won't rest until the persons responsible are held accountable for what they have done. It's hard to lose a friend, or a classmate. But losing a brother… that's just pain without end."

"I thank you all for coming. He would have been happy to see you guys," she concluded.

Translucent tears pooled at the neck of Jennifer Humphrey's black dress. They melted instantly into the midst of darkness, as did every emotion that came to her those days. All the blonde could feel as she stepped down from the podium was the raw pain that stung inside her chest. She saw the tears on everyone else's faces and felt the urge to laugh. They thought her speech was bad. Try everything she couldn't put in words. Try the hungry leech biting at her insides, leaving her exposed, broken, and alone. Try the look of pity etched onto the faces of everyone around her, or the pure devastation that is transfixed into the eyes of her mother and father. Through the last two weeks of denial, planning, sadness, and acceptance, only one want surfaced and festered, grasping onto her heart and soul screaming. It wanted Dan. _She_ wanted Dan.

She didn't just want the boy who had died. She wanted the person who got her out of trouble by any means necessary, the guy who protected her from the junior monsters in her freshman year, and the boy who had been with her for her entire life. She craved her partner in crime and sole adviser in the way of being a teenager. She needed to vent, but she no longer had the person with the perfect ears. She had to cry, but no other shoulders seemed right. For the past year, Jenny had been trying to run from the life she had towards a life she had always dreamed of. Then, sitting down at her eighteen-year-old brother's funeral, she just wished she could take it all back. Sadly, there were some things in life that could never be undone.

_

* * *

November 26th, 2008 - Night_

The faces moved by her in a blur. Blair could not tell which people were speaking to her, and which were just passing by. Nothing seemed to be in focus. Her mind was spinning in the same pattern it had been for the past ten days. The only consolation that came from the time was that she could now stop herself from closing in like a crushed spider every time someone mentioned his name aloud.

"Dan Humphrey," someone mumbled from a bit away from her, "Good boy, he was." The person beside them nodded.

"I always liked him, even though he wasn't the norm. He had a good head on his shoulders. One must wonder how he got himself into this situation," the other person said.

"Definitely dealing with the wrong crowd on his side of the border," added a voice too familiar to be anyone but-

"Chuck Bass, what a surprise to see you here," the first man said straightening his tie. Chuck nodded slowly.

"I figured I'd pay my respects to the only person to punch me and live to tell the tale," Chuck said.

Blair Waldorf blinked blankly to focus on the group. Chuck stood protectively a few feet to the side of her. Two high society men stood some steps back, watching him with interest. One of the men - the first one to speak - seemed to notice her presence. He turned to speak to her.

"Ah, hello, I am Matthew Parks, president in charge of-"

Chuck cleared his throat. The man's sentence was cut off instantly.

"I don't believe this is the time to be making conversation, Mr. Parks. If you would like to, my father is available from noon to three every weekday. He already is expecting your call," Chuck said. Mr. Parks stiffened at the mention of Chuck's father. He motioned to his associate, and the two men left with nothing but a nod in their direction as good-bye.

Once the two men were out of sight, Chuck rounded on her, looking her up and down. He shook his head slowly, and draped his arm casually over her shoulder.

"Breathe. You're beginning to look like a mess," he told her.

"Am I not supposed to? He died, Chuck," she deadpanned.

"Dead or not, Humphrey isn't worth your tears," he said.

"I'm not crying. I haven't cried once in the last month," she said.

"Why not? He died, after all."

"Don't get smart with me, Bass. He was Serena's boyfriend. I feel bad because she feels bad," Blair tried to explain. Chuck rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, because your sympathy for her boyfriend has always been a known character trait of yours," Chuck remarked.

Blair sighed, "I didn't think he would ever die. He's… Brooklyn, not the fricken Ozarks. He shouldn't be dead right now."

"Is that your deep-rooted kind nature, or your hormones talking?" Chuck asked.

"The first one," Blair proposed weakly.

"Look, if you really want to fall apart in public because the guy you supposedly hated died, can you at least do it where Gossip Girl doesn't have a thousand spies? Everyone is looking to find out information on how this happened," Chuck informed.

"He was a do-gooder at eighteen who never did anything wrong. Who wouldn't want to know what happened?"

"Me," Chuck answered, "Finding out how Humphrey died isn't going to change the fact that it already happened. It isn't going to put him back in on his pedestal for preachy speeches about how screwed up our world is. It isn't going to place him back in his father's arms. And, it isn't going to get back the Thanksgiving we're all spending mourning instead of being thankful."

"Is that all you think of, Chuck? The pessimistic side of life?" she asked.

"You know me so well," Chuck replied. Blair rolled her eyes.

Leave it to Chuck Bass to make her feel thankful for one thing; the time she spends without him. It was always hard to believe how in love she was with Chuck. Looking at them then, they looked more like squabbling siblings than the ex-lovers deciding to play it cool. Then again, looking at Blair now, one would think she was the grieving girlfriend rather than blonde sitting in a chair to the side.

Blair's gaze shifted to Serena, finding her easily in the crowd. The death really had taken a toll on her. They weren't dating, not anymore, but it looked as if Serena could not possibly go on another second. Her eyes were sunken in with deep, purple circles all around them. Her usually plump hair was pulled back in a neat bun to try and make up for the dirty color and texture it was taking on. Her skin was pale, and she looked to have not eaten a thing since word reached around that Dan was dead. The only person in the place she would say that looked worse than Serena was Rufus. With too many physical tells to count and so much emotional trauma going through his head, he was undoubtedly the worse of the pack. Still, he leaned against a wall and accepted meekly the words of the people at the reception.

"Why was there even a reception?" Blair asked vehemently, "Do we really need to spend more time focusing on this?"

Chuck was taken aback by Blair's sudden outburst.

"You don't need to, but you are. I'm pretty sure you don't have a say in the matter, Blair," Chuck said with a knowing look. Blair's gaze hardened.

"I really hate you, you know that, right?" she asked, and he nodded, "Good. Now, let's go leave our apologies with Jenny."

"Jenny? Why not one of the parents?" he inquired following behind her despite his question.

"Rufus is a zombie. Alyson… is the last person I would like to speak to. Did you hear her speech at the funeral? She basically said as much as Gossip Girl did. There was practically no emotion. And, she was staring at Serena for half of it," Blair explained.

"You were seated next to Serena. Maybe she was staring at you," Chuck suggested.

"What would be the point in that? I saw her once," Blair pointed out.

"She might have been curious as to why you were in the row with the typical tear busters," Chuck continued offhandedly, "Possibly so curious that she stands by the door waiting for you to walk pass."

Blair quickly snuck a glance towards the door. Her eyes fell on Alyson's form just in front of the door. Blair stifled a groan and changed course. She might as well just forget about the easy way. She would have to talk to Alyson eventually.

"Hello, Ms. Humphrey, you're looking pretty well," Blair complimented.

"Why thank you, Blair," Alyson said, "You know, I was a bit surprised to see you here. I didn't know you were a fan of my son."

"I wasn't," Blair admitted, "Not publicly at least. I'm here for Serena."

Blair watched Alyson look to her friend and back.

"Yes, that makes sense," Alyson stated.

"I am so sorry this has happened to you. Your family didn't deserve it," Blair told her. Alyson nodded.

"It didn't. And, I can't help but wonder i-if maybe I didn't leave, would he still be alive?"

Alyson looked away.

"I doubt your pathetic leave was the reason for this incident," Blair said.

"Pathetic," Alyson bristled, her jaw dropping, "I-"

"_I_ may have talked to a few people during the service. I know some things," Blair said, "One of which is that this is not your fault. Another is that there is something to be thankful for."

"And what is that?" Alyson asked snappishly.

"He lived this long, didn't he? He was able to grow up and become a pretty honorable young man. You can't honestly say that he didn't achieve most of the things you wanted him to," Blair said. Chuck stepped in.

"Straight A's, accepted into Yale after getting an extra recommendation, was published in the New Yorker, found a love that made him truly happy," Chuck listed, Alyson nodded slowly, "He also lost his virginity, took a meth trip, put a psycho bitch inside a correctional facility, and got someone pr-"

"Chuck!" Blair shrieked, silencing him, "So sorry, Ms. Humphrey my friend here never thinks before he speaks."

"Dan was the same way for a while," Alyson responded with a far away look. It was as if the added parts hadn't phased her at all.

"Well, uh, we will just be going on now," Blair said already pulling at Chuck's collar.

"You do that," Alyson said.

"I didn't know you still liked it rough," Chuck grumbled to Blair.

"I cannot believe you said all that! It's a funeral. You're only supposed to mention the good things," Blair said.

"And getting rid of Georgina once and for all wasn't? Could you imagine what this place would be like if she was still walking the streets?" Chuck asked. A shiver went down Blair's spine.

"Okay, so, maybe that one was a good one, but the others…" Blair's sentence trailed off as she noticed Alyson on the other side of the door now. The woman was looking at her with searching eyes, making Blair feel uncomfortable at best.

"Blair," Alyson called from the doorway, "I thought I would let you know that I know everything. I truly do."

Before Blair had the time to react, the door swung close. Chuck looked on curiously.

"That was odd," he declared.

"Yeah, odd," Blair agreed shakily. How much did that woman actually know? She couldn't possibly know _that_… could she?

Blair's hand went to the dry edges of her hair at the thought.

_

* * *

November 26th, 2008 - 10 o' clock_

The chief of police tightened his belt around his waist looking at the cameras surrounding him.

"Little you worry, people. I have my best men on this case. It has been ten days, and our search is coming up pretty well. We will find the culprit, and they _will_ be punished, severely. No one murders in this district and can expect to get away with it," the chief said. Reporters, observed by the news crew, jotted down notes and more questions were asked.

The bland news anchor reappeared on the screen, and the blonde clicked it off restlessly.

"Their search isn't coming up well," the dark-haired figure assured the blonde.

"What if it is?" the other asked.

"Then we're screwed," was the casual reply, "Don't worry, baby, I have it covered."

The blonde stared at her in disbelief.

"How is it even possible that you have this under control? We killed a man! I don't see how you can beso calm!"

"I don't see how you can't be. This isn't your first walk on the wild side."

"My last 'walk' was inspired by lust and seductive words. This one was just an accident brought on by sheer dumb luck on our part."

"Stop freaking out, you'll add wrinkles to such a pretty face. The chief of police for sure does two things. He eats - as we can tell from the satisfied grin and giant protruding stomach - and he lies. He has no leads. If he did, he would have found us by now."

"We're pushing our luck."

"I thought we were pushing people who told our secrets."

"You're not funny."

"And, you're not innocent, but I don't point that out every chance I get. Now, let's finalize those plans. A move to Rio needs to be inconspicuous after all."

_

* * *

November 26th - GossipGirl_

**Despite my tradition to let the mice run free on this day, I can't help but watch. It has been an entire ten days since LonelyBoy kicked the metaphoric bucket. I hate to sound impatient, but you guys really aren't digging up anything. Is it that he's Brooklyn and you're happy to see him go? Or did the killer really just sweep all evidence under a rug?**

**This is New York, people. Nothing stays hidden for long. Not from GossipGirl at least. I'm waiting, Upper East Siders.**

**XOXO, Gossip Girl.**

* * *

© Everything written above belongs to me (FF user, _Paint Me a Symphony_). If somebody is out there pushing this as their own, they are lying. I may not own_ Gossip Girl_, or its characters, but I do own this.


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